How do you deal with finicky, picky and ignorant buyers? (1 Viewer)

[Njja]

For the first time I had a guy not pay. I sent 3 emails to him reminding him he did not pay and never received a response. So today I filed with ebay a no pay on this guy.
No joke, not 5 minutes after I filed the complaint he sent me an echeck.
Gary

Yes unfortunately you often get a quick response once a claim is filed.......go
figure! Suddenly.......their computer is up and running again.

 

[Njja]

Are you using USPS or some other carrier? I have had no problems getting refunds from the post office on damaged returns. I just tell them I refuse to put my customer through the hassle of dealing with claims.

Jan

I usually ship Fedex within the USA, they have provided me with the best, quickest service.

Internationally I used USPS, which I find way overpriced, usually slow, and in
general a waste of time......but we have little choice.

 

[johno2412]

For the first time I had a guy not pay. I sent 3 emails to him reminding him he did not pay and never received a response. So today I filed with ebay a no pay on this guy.
No joke, not 5 minutes after I filed the complaint he sent me an echeck.
Gary

i had i guy win a item that he bid on with 3 seconds left on the auction after sending him two invoices he got bact to me saying he didn't think he would have won the auction and had now gone on holiday and would pay when he got back in a week, which he did but to be fair i think you would know if you had won with 3 seconds left to go, 3 days maybe

 

[churchmouse1]

As a frequent eBay buyer, I've only had two transactions that disappointed me. I bought one Trophy Zulu hand-to-hand set which arrived with only three small pieces of multi-colored foam and two packing peanuts in the Trophy box. The original packing foam was no more, and the seller had made no serious attempt to secure the pieces. All the weapons and limbs of the figures were bent beyond recognition and paint had chipped off everywhere. But the seller did take the set back; I packed it up securely to prevent any more damage (if that was possible) on the return trip.

My other horror story was about an old set of Britains French Zouaves. I had probably overpaid on the auction to begin with, and when they arrived, the heads and bases were all busted off them. Instead of packing them securely, the seller merely strapped them back in the original box. The U.S. Post jostled them free, and, when I got them, they were just a pile of heads, torsos, and feet in the bottom of the box. He gave me $20 back, which will buy me plenty of super-glue to fix them.

I hate to see toy soldiers abused and neglected in this manner. Neither of these sellers were toy soldier selling novices. I'm always surprised to see what people will put in the mail. If there is any question, pack'em tighter.

Dave
Former Shipper and Receiver

 

[Spitfrnd]

i had i guy win a item that he bid on with 3 seconds left on the auction after sending him two invoices he got bact to me saying he didn't think he would have won the auction and had now gone on holiday and would pay when he got back in a week, which he did but to be fair i think you would know if you had won with 3 seconds left to go, 3 days maybe

Actually you may not know that if you use an automated bidding program as I do and then go out of email contact. I always use that program to bid.

 

[Njja]

Actually you may not know that if you use an automated bidding program as I do and then go out of email contact. I always use that program to bid.

If someone bids for an item, it is their responsibility to pay for it in a reasonablle time frame. The method a person uses to bid is his business, and does not excuse him for responsible behavior.

Once an item is sold fees are charged, and other programs that the seler may use to say provide insurance are activated. Some of these programs have time limits, and if payment is not received within a certain time frame the seller may not be able to use them.

I watch items I bid on, and pay once the auction is over usually within minutes, its just good business.

 

[Gideon]

I am pretty tolerant of people. I usually wait up to two weeks before I file a claim. If the buyer doesn't respond at all, I'll file sooner.

My favorite crazy jerk experience was the guy in Belgium. He bought something from me and then complained he didn't receive it, wanted a full refund, bad feedback, ruin my reputation, the whole 9 yards.

So I llok into the tracking details and it turned out that there were like four delivery attempts made to his address. The package leaving Philadelphia PA got to this guy in Belgium in 6 days - no kidding.

So I send this guy all the details of the delivery attempts. He tells me that I "chose bad postal service" and that he was on vacation and not there to accept delivery.

I put him through the wringer like you would not believe. The USPS returned the package which I had to pay for. So, I would not offer a refund and I think paypal would have backed me up as I had a complete email transcript - I kept everything including the insults and anti-American tirade.

So, he had to pay the original shipping, the return shipping, new shipping and pay me a little for having to put up with him.

I also went through a series of Canadian buyers and bidders who were just aweful. One told me that because of my shipping price I was a joke and "don't worry, when your dollar falls to nothing we up here will help you heat your homes". Nice guy.

There were three other Canadians I dealt with within one week who were equally nasty. I now realize that this when our dollar went into a tailspin and foreign buyers were jumping on anything they could get out of the USA for the good conversion rate. That really brought out the best of some nations - let me tell ya.

 

[johno2412]

If someone bids for an item, it is their responsibility to pay for it in a reasonablle time frame. The method a person uses to bid is his business, and does not excuse him for responsible behavior.

Once an item is sold fees are charged, and other programs that the seler may use to say provide insurance are activated. Some of these programs have time limits, and if payment is not received within a certain time frame the seller may not be able to use them.

I watch items I bid on, and pay once the auction is over usually within minutes, its just good business.

if only all winning bidders made payment as quick

 

[VIRIATO]

I am pretty tolerant of people. I usually wait up to two weeks before I file a claim. If the buyer doesn't respond at all, I'll file sooner.

My favorite crazy jerk experience was the guy in Belgium. He bought something from me and then complained he didn't receive it, wanted a full refund, bad feedback, ruin my reputation, the whole 9 yards.

So I llok into the tracking details and it turned out that there were like four delivery attempts made to his address. The package leaving Philadelphia PA got to this guy in Belgium in 6 days - no kidding.

So I send this guy all the details of the delivery attempts. He tells me that I "chose bad postal service" and that he was on vacation and not there to accept delivery.

I put him through the wringer like you would not believe. The USPS returned the package which I had to pay for. So, I would not offer a refund and I think paypal would have backed me up as I had a complete email transcript - I kept everything including the insults and anti-American tirade.

So, he had to pay the original shipping, the return shipping, new shipping and pay me a little for having to put up with him.

I also went through a series of Canadian buyers and bidders who were just aweful. One told me that because of my shipping price I was a joke and "don't worry, when your dollar falls to nothing we up here will help you heat your homes". Nice guy.

There were three other Canadians I dealt with within one week who were equally nasty. I now realize that this when our dollar went into a tailspin and foreign buyers were jumping on anything they could get out of the USA for the good conversion rate. That really brought out the best of some nations - let me tell ya.

Boy, those are really horror stories! I do hope they are a low percentage of your business! Now I have to ask you this, haven´t you also had dealings gone awry with American buyers? Longer trips surely mean more risk, but I am sure the bad guys are unfortunately everywhere.


Embarrassed European (Portuguese),
Paulo

 

[Njja]

Paulo:

To answer your question from my point of view, a small percentage of transactions result in a problem. I would further add that almost all of my international customers are excellent. I believe I have only had one small situation in over tens years of international sales, and a solution was reached in that matter.

I have found my international customers to be every bit as nice, and responsive as my U.S. customers, just my opinion.

 

[Gideon]

Boy, those are really horror stories! I do hope they are a low percentage of your business! Now I have to ask you this, haven´t you also had dealings gone awry with American buyers? Longer trips surely mean more risk, but I am sure the bad guys are unfortunately everywhere.


Embarrassed European (Portuguese),
Paulo

I've only had a few problems. But, when a buyer is difficult, holy cow, they are difficult. It's like driving for hours on a scenic highway and having boulder fall on the roof of your car.

Interestingly, most of the real difficult buyers I've dealt with are not in the USA. There are a few I've dealt with but they tend to be elsewhere and po'd that they have to spend some bucks on shipping. Once they've spent it, some will try to make you jump through hoops maybe to help justify the shipping price. I can't think of any other reason because that's usually what triggers the behavior.

 

[gk5717]

The few problems I have had is that my first response to them is "hey go ---- yourself". But I calm myself down and then try to deal with it on a professional level.
What I don,t understand is I have posted "No International Bidders", yet they still bid and when they win, they complain about the postage.
Having said the above I had this guy win a few of my auctions and he was from Turkey.
I thought for sure this package would never arrive, but he got it faster and with no problems better than any other foreign shipment.
So looking at the big picture it is just a case by case deal.
Gary

 

[Gideon]

It really is. I have found that any country using the British Postal service or a service based on it is going to take some bit of time.

I get packages to people Greece and Singapore faster than they get to their new owners in Canada and UK/GB.

People don't read. Never assume that they will. If you really want US only, there is an option you can select to show your listings in the US only. Not that it means much as I go to eBay.de to buy stuff frequently. Sometimes the seller in Germany won't ship to the US.

 

[Spitfrnd]

If someone bids for an item, it is their responsibility to pay for it in a reasonablle time frame. The method a person uses to bid is his business, and does not excuse him for responsible behavior.

Once an item is sold fees are charged, and other programs that the seler may use to say provide insurance are activated. Some of these programs have time limits, and if payment is not received within a certain time frame the seller may not be able to use them.

I watch items I bid on, and pay once the auction is over usually within minutes, its just good business.

So do I and have always paid within 48 hours but that is not the point. The point is to explain that it is certainly possible for a bidder to no know he had won if he won in the last seconds.

 

[Njja]

So do I and have always paid within 48 hours but that is not the point. The point is to explain that it is certainly possible for a bidder to no know he had won if he won in the last seconds.

I believe we should all be responsiblile for our actions, and not rely on excuses. I'm sure there are lots of reasons a person could win an auction and not realize he did. The simple point is expressed by Ebay "a winning bid is a contract to buy" and since the action of winning causes fees to be charged to the seller it should not be taken lightly.

If you take the time to bid, whether in person or by program, you should be aware of your actions and respond in a timely fashion.

Just my thoughts.

 

[OzDigger]

Bidders make mistakes, sometimes they don't read the description well enough or lack the intelligence and or language skills required to be effective ebayers. Ebay rarely force a sale and they are even reluctant to place a non paying strike against a bidder. And don't forget buyers can list negative feedback but sellers can't.

A smart ebay seller appreciates the fact that the buyer has the upper hand and goes with the flow rather than trying to fight for every penny. After all, there is an option in the Non-Paying Bidder section that allows a refund of eBay fees - provided both the seller and buyer agree not to proceed with the sale. Rather than waste time arguing the point, I have found it much simpler to offer that option to the non paying bidder and they usually take it. I get my ebay fees back and can relist the item, and the bidder learns a lesson without being forced into buying something in hindsight he doesn't want.